Sexual Assault & Violence Intervention Services of Halton (SAVIS)

09/08/2025

St. Anthony’s, St. Philip’s, Thunderchild

Farther north and west, smaller schools repeated the same violence. St. Anthony’s at Onion Lake, St. Philip’s at Fort Pelly, Thunderchild at Delmas — each run by church and state together, each a site of suffering.

Children here were forced to trade freedom for confinement. They were told their drumming was savage, their ceremonies evil. They were locked in dormitories where loneliness sank deep into their bones. For some, escape was attempted but rarely successful. The distance between home and the school was meant to break the will.

But the will endured. Survivors tell of secret prayers whispered in Cree, of dreams that carried them home, of hearts that could not be colonized.

We will not let their truth fade.
We will not let their strength be forgotten.
We will stand with them, always.

At SAVIS, we are proud to support Grandmother’s Voice and their work in honouring Indigenous children, uplifting Survivors, and carrying forward truth and reconciliation. On September 20, 2025 join them at "We are One" at The Meeting House in Oakville. Full details are available at www.grandmothersvoice.com. To see the entire "Remember the Children" campaign, visit Grandmother's Voice on social media Grandmother's Voice

09/06/2025

Battleford, Beauval, Crowstand, Delmas, Duck Lake

On the wide prairie of Saskatchewan, where the sky meets the horizon in every direction, the loss of children was felt in every camp and every lodge. Families who once gathered along rivers and bison trails watched as government agents and priests carried their sons and daughters away. Battleford Industrial School, Beauval, Crowstand, Delmas, Duck Lake — their names echo a century of silence and punishment.

These schools were built to break kinship. Children were stripped of the songs of the land and of the voices of their grandmothers. Languages were forbidden, ceremonies condemned. In Duck Lake, Métis and Cree children were told their way of life had no place in the world. In Beauval, illness and fire claimed young lives. In Delmas, known as St. Henri, the cruelty was so severe the school closed after only a few years.

Yet the people survived. The children, even in their grief, carried seeds of resilience. Those seeds grew into movements for truth, justice, and healing. Those seeds grew into the Survivors who tell their stories today.

We remember their cries.
We honour their courage.
We commit to truth, even when it hurts.

At SAVIS, we are proud to support Grandmother’s Voice and their work in honouring Indigenous children, uplifting Survivors, and carrying forward truth and reconciliation. On September 20, 2025 join them at "We are One" at The Meeting House in Oakville. Full details are available at www.grandmothersvoice.com. To see the entire "Remember the Children" campaign, visit Grandmother's Voice on social media Grandmother's Voice

09/05/2025

🚨 IT'S TIME!! 🚨 Join us for Take Back the Night 2025 on Thursday, September 18th, as we march forward together towards a future free from sexual violence. This annual event is part of a global movement dedicated to standing up against sexual violence and raising awareness in our communities.

Interested in being a Vendor for TBTN 2025? Fill out the application through this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5HxGUdx2ehCbbrBgkc3NzEv4RZYSgkeY8h34GWLkrJBBAcQ/viewform

Are you a community organization interested in promoting your services & programs? Fill out the application through this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdO_qcAy5pxMmM5L7N78s9Hb53EPtPx82T3yM20qpcXx78QgQ/viewform

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions! We hope to see you there 💜

09/04/2025

Remember the Children: A Month of Remembrance

This month, we begin a journey of remembrance.

The first image in this series shows Rick Pelletier, faceless. His portrait stands as a metaphor: for the children whose names were never recorded, whose voices were silenced, whose identities were taken.

In the days to come, you will see archival photos of children from residential and day schools across Canada. They are often smiling. But those smiles hide a deeper truth. Some were posed for the camera, others may have felt fleeting joy in the moment. Yet that happiness was stolen. Their parents and grandparents never got to share it. Their families never got to hear the laughter that belonged in their own homes, in their own languages, in the embrace of their own cultures.

For some children, the photograph is all that remains. They never came home. They lie in unmarked graves, far from the families who still wait for them. Others returned, but not as the same children who left. They carried wounds that could not be seen in the photo — wounds that scarred generations.

Between the late 1800s and the 1990s, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children were forced into these institutions. Thousands died. Thousands more survived but lost their language, ceremony, and connection to community. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has documented this loss, but Survivors and their descendants continue to carry its weight every day.

This September, as we approach Orange Shirt Day on September 30, Grandmother’s Voice commits to remembering. Each post is not just a list of schools. It is an act of truth-telling. An act of grief. An act of resistance.
We invite you to walk with us. To look beyond the smiles. To honour the children who never came home, and those who did — forever changed.

We remember.
We honour.
We carry forward.

At SAVIS, we are proud to support Grandmother’s Voice and their work in honouring Indigenous children, uplifting Survivors, and carrying forward truth and reconciliation. On September 20, 2025 join them at "We are One" at The Meeting House in Oakville. Full details are available at www.grandmothersvoice.com. To see the entire "Remember the Children" campaign, visit Grandmother's Voice on social media Grandmother's Voice

09/03/2025

Words matter! 💬

Accusing language often pushes people away, while assertive language invites understanding and respect.

The difference? Assertiveness uses “I” statements to express feelings and needs without blame - leading to healthier conversations, stronger boundaries, and better relationships.

How do you usually communicate when you’re frustrated - accusingly or assertively?

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09/01/2025

On Wednesday, August 27th, SAVIS joined the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS), alongside Halton Region Public Health and the Halton Opioid Action Table (HOAT), held a flag-raising ceremony at the HRPS Headquarters in Oakville. The event featured remarks from community leaders and those with lived experience, underscoring the importance of compassion and continued action in the fight against the opioid crisis.

This day is not only about remembering those we have lost, but also about breaking stigma, supporting families, and spreading the message that no one is ever alone.

The ceremony served as a reminder that resources are available—such as free naloxone kits—and that conversations about substance use, mental health, and community support are crucial in saving lives and fostering hope.

08/31/2025

08/17/2025

Ghosting - when someone disappears without a word, leaving silence where there should’ve been honesty.

But remember: their silence says more about them than it does about you. 💜

✨ You deserve presence, respect, and real communication.

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